In general I'm about as fond of boxing as I am of packing and unpacking boxes. But if you were seeking an example of what resilience might look like in action, you could do worse than watch Muhammed Ali at his peak. Ali, of course, famously spoke of his capacity to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," and there's no denying his ability to meld grace with power.

You've heard it a million times before. We learn by our mistakes. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And so on, and so on. But here's a little story, just to remind you how important mistakes can be.

Shakespeare famously wrote, "To thine own self, be true." But when your words and actions are met with negativity, you may feel your spirit sinking down. How can we learn to withstand the withering blows of doubt, both from ourselves and from others?

Like the proverbial oyster, we all have daily attacks of unwanted problems. We must learn, through persistence, to coat them and make them our points of strength. Over time, these trials will be transformed into "pearls" - accomplishments otherwise unthinkable.

Whether it is something in our characters or something about our health that needs improving, we don't have to pay homage to the status quo. We are equipped with the resolve we need to ring in the changes.